Searching for Gallifrey
by Wandering7Doctors
Summary: The 11th Doctor searches for his home planet after the events of The Day of The Doctor. His journey leads him to Columbus, deep space, and even encountering a certain mischievous god. This is the tale of how the Doctor began his long journey home.
1. To Explore the Stars

"Captain, an unidentified vessel is arriving on the ship!" Uhura said over to the intercome.

On the ship? Kirk had never heard of such a bizarre thing. Around the ship usually… but inside.

Kirk pressed a button on the captain's chair, Engineering.

"Mr. Scott," Captain Kirk said. "What do scans of the vessel tells us?"

_"Not much, Captain,"_ Scotty's voice rang over the intercom. _"The vessel appears to have no external weapons, or signs of hostility whatsoever. In fact… well… pulling up visual now, Captain."_

The main screen sparked to life as everyone on the bridge witnessed a blue phone booth appear in the hallways of Engineering.

"A phone booth," Spock said with an arched eyebrow. "One Earth's archaic means of communication."

"I've only seen one of those in a museum," Captain Kirk said. "To think, Spock, one of the greatest steps in communication for the human race, made available for all on every street corner. Amazing, to think such a design would be used by some race as a tool for travel. What matter of intelligent being would use such a design?"

The phone booth opened. A man with an odd haircut, tweed jacket, and red bow tie stepped out of the machine. He looked around the hallways, then looked directly at the camera that enabled the Bridge to see him on the main screen. The strange man grinned and pulled out a small device that flashed green as he aimed it at the camera.

Suddenly the screen twitched as the man's face took up the entire viewing room.

_"Hello in there,"_ The man said with childish grin. _"I'm a bit lost. Looking for a planet. Care to help?"_

None of the crew knew how to respond to the request.

"Intelligence might be debatable, Captain." Spock said.

The strange man was brought to the medical bay.

"This isn't necessary," The man said as Bones scanned his retina. "I keep myself free of parasites and bacteria on a regular basis. I'm a Doctor after all."

Bones glared at the man.

"You look more like a game show host than a doctor," Bones grumbled. "There used to be standards to doing this kind of work. Now any fool with a bow tie can call himself medical doctor."

"Hey, don't trash the bow tie," the Doctor said pointedly. "Bow ties are cool. Besides, I never said I was a medical doctor."

"And what matter of Doctor are you then?" Spock said, who supervised the inspection, against Bones wishes.

"I'm a Doctor for lots of things," The Doctor said. "Humans, robots, teddy bears, and I'm more than welcome to simply help anyone and everyone."

"What human institute would have such a certificate?" Spock asked.

"I do it for the fun of it," The Doctor said. "It's very dull to have a certificate, the one I received from Gallifrey is nice and all but I'd rather do good for the sake of good, not because a piece of paper tells me I can."

"Fascinating," Spock said. "You mentioned Gallifrey. I'm not familiar with that planet. So that confirms you're not human."

"Well if you really wanted to find that out, why not tell this man who's poking me in the ear to check my heartbeats."

Both men gave each other skeptical looks before Bones pulled up another device. He scanned one heart, which read normally.

"Now try the one on the right."

Bones looked at the Doctor who raised his eyebrows curiously.

Bones did as he asked and was stunned to hear a responding beat.

"Two hearts." Bones said astonished.

"For twice the love." The Doctor said with a grin.

"You appear surprisingly human despite your inhuman nature." Spock said.

"So do you," the Doctor said. "Nice ears by the way."

"Very well, Doctor," Spock said. "It appears you hold no estimable threat. What are your intentions?"

The Doctor got up from the bed and stood to look Spock in the eye.

"Well, I just needed a place to rest up, the Tardis gets a bit winded now and then. As for me, well I wouldn't complain to seeing your maps."

The Doctor was let onto the Bridge under security enforced detail. However, after watching him work with Chekov and Scotty it was clear that the Doctor was in fact a genuinely good man. Which made the confirmation later a small bit disappointing.

"Nothing," Chekov. "Ve checked every reading but still nothing."

"Sorry, lad," Scotty said as he patted the Doctor on the back. "It's seems your planet doesn't exist anymore."

"I wouldn't say that," the Doctor said with a sigh. "Misplaced would be a better word for it. Scattered within time and space, just waiting to be rediscovered."

"Time and Space you say?" Captain Kirk said.

"Oh yes," The Doctor said. "I'm a Time Lord, time travel is my means of getting about."

"Isn't it dangerous to the time stream to do such a thing?" Spock asked.

"Only if you misbehave," The Doctor said. "Of course I usually run into people who do just that for me, and I usually keep them from being the dangerous ones."

"How does such a vessel perform this trick?" Sulu asked.

"I'm a bit curious about that myself." Scotty said.

"Well first off time travel," the Doctor said. "Second, not telling. I don't need any others causing my kind of trouble. I may not be the best individual to hold this kind of power but at least I know no one worst has their hands on it."

"You speak from experience?" Captain Kirk asked.

"More than I like to remember," the Doctor said. "Trust me, people always mean well but always want to be on the winning side of history."

"And what do you want?" Captain Kirk asked. "Why are you searching for Gallifrey?"

The Doctor took a moment and walked towards the main screen. The stars were shining in a constant sea of space. He stood watching the stars for several minutes before turning back to look at the crew of the Enterprise. He had a smile on his face.

"I want to go home," The Doctor said. "I wish to walk among my people, to not be alone anymore. To help the one planet I always felt I had failed for a long, long, time .But I'll continue to help any and all who need help, to explore and learn all that can be discovered. You lot seem to appreciate that kind of philosophy."

"Indeed," Captain Kirk said. "We too wish to explore new worlds as well. Is there anything we can do for you, Doctor, one team of explorers to another?"

"This was enough," The Doctor said. "It always good to meet fellow travelers. I wish you luck in your journeys. Never be afraid to see what else might be out there and always work to keep in mind that all things in the universe have a right to be there, it's hard to remember but definitely worth it."

With that the Doctor left to go for the Tardis, he wasn't much of a fan for goodbyes let alone long ones. Places to see and people to meet after all. But for now, meeting peaceful explorers helped remind the Doctor that the universe has all matter of explorers and guardians out there.

If the Doctor chose to stay in Gallifrey, to escape the fate of Trenzalore, he could at least feel some level of peace that others would take up his truly timeless cause.

All beings explore.

For the Doctor, he felt he might have truly explored enough.

It was time to go home.


	2. Halloween Town

The Tardis groaned as it adjusted to its new environment, adapting to the environment. Upon anchoring to the location, the Doctor looked at the monitor, and found himself wondering where exactly he was. This was clearly a physical world, but there was nothing concrete. It literally seemed to be constructed by an idea.

The Doctor could only hope it was a good one.

As he left the Tardis, the Doctor found himself on a grey hill that spiraled with bizarre groves. An eternal moon was high in the sky, watching over everything with a sinister gleam.

"Where is this?" The Doctor said after performing a quick 360 degree spin. "What is this?"

"I remember saying something like that a long time ago."

The Doctor spun about and saw something amazing.

A living skeleton. It wore a black suit with white stripes and a collar made of bat wings. There were no eyes in the skull but the Doctor knew the skeleton was looking at him. The skeleton had a smile on his face, a smile the Doctor couldn't help but share.

"What do you think?" The skeleton said as he stretched his bony fingers towards the expansive graveyard and pumpkin patch.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor said. "What an interesting world this is. It seems to be constructed from a single theme, a holiday in fact. Which Holiday?"

"This, Sir, is Halloween Town. My name is Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. I'm the head of all festivity planning for Halloween."

"How very nice to meet you," the Doctor said with a bow. "I'm the Doctor, of Gallifrey and I'm looking for my way home."

"Is that what this contraption is for?" Jack said as he placed a hand on the Tardis.

The Tardis groaned and Jack stepped back.

"She doesn't like to be touched by strangers." The Doctor said.

"My apologies," Jack said. "So, you say you're going home. Where is that from here?"

"No clue," the Doctor said with a shrug. "The plan is to search anywhere and everywhere until I find it. Ever hear of Gallifrey?"

"Has never come up, I'm afraid." Jack said as he massaged his chin. "But maybe our own Doctor might help. I have to warn you though, the locals aren't dangerous but they can seem… odd to strangers."

"Not to worry, I'm sure if they're anything like you, Jack, we'll all get along just fine."

Jack nodded, pleased to find his strange new comrade to be surprisingly jovial despite the grim environment. Together they entered the town to find answers. The chance to explore with a new friend was more than enough motivation for the two enquiringly fascinated men.

The cobbled streets echoed beneath the Doctor's feet. He did his usual sway-walk that allowed him to swagger about, seeing everything, but never lose stride with the people he walked with. Jack watched the Doctor, fascinated by the strange man who seemed to carry the brilliance of an entire world behind his eyes. So much age, knowledge, and possibilities that even Jack was at a loss to define.

The townsfolk seemed just as surprised. Despite their malevolent appearances they were surprisingly pleasant and actually saw the Doctor as the bizarre one. Still, no one got in Jack's way as he led the Doctor to the laboratory of Doctor Finklestein.

"Ah, Jack, my boy, how good to see you," Finklestein said. "How have you been? Still getting along with Sally I suppose."

"But of course, Doctor," Jack said. "She means everything to me, you know this yet you don't wish to come by the house."

"That is not your concern," Finklestein snarled. "My business with her is settled. I do not stand in the way of your affection for one another, that alone shows my care for her well being."

"Well that seems cold." The Doctor muttered.

Finklestein moved his chair by pushing the knob on the armrest. The pale, big headed being of science glared through his beady black spectacles at the Doctor as though he had just come into existence. He decided immediately not to like the stranger.

"What I do with my creations is no concern of yours, stranger," Finklestein muttered. "I did my best to work with the girl but I had no clue the spark of life I gave her would be rebellious, had I known…"

Finklestein found himself choosing his carefully considering the way Jack was looking him.

"I would have done things differently." Finklestein finally said. "But as I said that business is settled. So now let's get to something far more interesting, who are you and what convinced Jack here to bring you to my laboratory?" Nothing in Finklestein's voice told the Doctor he was welcome.

"I'm the Doctor," the Time Lord said. "I'm here because Jack apparently believes you have some noteworthy intelligence. Personally, I have my doubts."

"You dare insult me in my own house?!"

"And I do far worse to a man who'd belittle his own daughter."

"You have no right…"

"I have the best of rights in this situation," The Doctor explained. "I have had family in the past. All good friends and sometimes more. I have lost so much too often that if there is one thing I have come to understand is that family in any form is worth keeping. It sickens me to see how cold you are to one of the few beings in this universe who should have all your love. If not that, then at least be there to help her remember that you are more than a bad memory. Some of us don't even have that luxury anymore."

Finklestein and Jack were speechless. The amount of pain that came from the Doctor's lips proved he was in fact older than he seemed, but also very alone. Painfully alone. The way he seemed to carry a planet's worth of pain made both monsters realize something few do. There are some things that scare us but others that haunt us.

The Doctor to represent just how much the latter can haunt someone. Even Finklestein was shaken by the weight of the Doctor's pain, and his pain receptors had been intentionally cut away years ago.

However his words went to Jack.

"Perhaps… we can come to some kind of arrangement," Finklestein said. "I can't promise to approve of her rebellious nature."

"I'm not asking you to," Jack said. "I just wish for you be in our lives more."

"…I'll… consider it." Finklestein said after a moment.

They eventually got around to asking Finklestein to see if any of his technology managed to pick anything bizarre enough to lead to Gallifrey. No luck. The Doctor was actually relieved, because part of him didn't want this to be the place or the person to lead to his chance to be home. He hoped it would at least be in better company.

The walk home proved he probably had crossed a few lines with Jack.

"I'm sorry," The Doctor said. "There are just some things I can't stand to see in all my centuries of travel and loss."

"I know," Jack said. "Maybe Doctor Finklestein deserved half of what you said. But that does not mean I approve of it being spoken in the first place. Understand?"

"Perfectly."

"Good," Jack nodded. "That being said, I have to thank you for standing up for Sally. I hope some good comes from this meeting. So what happens now, Doctor?"

"I suppose I'll head back to the Tardis," the Doctor said. "It should be refueled by now. Not much else to keep me here."

"I think I might have something worth your time, Doctor." Jack said. "If you don't mind me bringing Sally and Zero along."

The Doctor smiled.

"I'm always in the mood for company."

Together with Sally and Zero, Jack introduced the Doctor to the place that changed his world. Doors that led to other ideaverses created for a specific holiday surrounded them.

"This is where I discovered Christmas," Jack said. "I actually thought I could do a better job of doing it than Sandy Claws. This led to me having Sandy Claws kidnapped just so I could take over."

The Doctor looked at his friend sternly.

"I gave it back," Jack said quickly. "I also had help." He held Sally who smiled.

"You discovered something better." Sally said happily.

"And right beside me my whole life," Jack said. "Once I found out, I never let go."

"Amazing what you find when you're not looking." The Doctor said with a grin.

"Indeed," Jack said. "Doctor, I have no idea where your home might be, but I believe everyone has place that ends their endless longing for something more. My place is here, and I'm sure you'll find yours one day."

"One day," the Doctor said. "Until then, I don't mind meeting others to remind me that happiness is out there for everyone."

And so the Doctor left Halloween Town. Jack Skellington and Sally saw him off. However, the Doctor promised to make sure he'd visit from the time to time.

Time for those he cared about was one promise the Doctor always worked to keep.


	3. Asgard

Heimdall watched everything from his post on the Byfrost Bridge to Asgard and all the realms within its protection, including Earth. It is thanks to his all-seeing power that Heimdall was not troubled by the sudden arrival of a blue police box.

"Hello," the young man who left the police box. "I'm the Doctor, I hope you don't mind me parking here."

"If I did, you'd be answering to Thor." Heimdall said. "Consider this as warm a welcome as you can achieve."

"Fair enough," The Doctor said with a nod. "Wait, did you say Thor? As in the mythological warrior. Wait… yes I have heard of this place. So that means this is Asgard!" The Doctor shouted with glee.

"I have never met a man so pleased to be an intruder on Asgard."

"Visitor, not intruder," the Doctor corrected. "Just using any nexus point of travel as a place of reference. Trying to find a place called Gallifrey. I assume this is the Bifrost Bridge, lovely colors by the way, I believe that makes you Heimdall."

"You seem to know much about us."

"Of course, I love studying everything," The Doctor said. "You never know when something might come in handy. Anyway, I was wondering, being that you everything, has a planet called Gallifrey."

"Whether I have or not is of no concern of yours for the moment," Heimdall said he turned around to look at the bridge. "What should be is how the All-Father wishes to receive you."

Several guards arrived, guided by the raven haired Lady Sif.

"Stranger, you have been ordered to be taken to the All-Father for questioning." Sif growled.

"Okay then," The Doctor said as he rubbed his palms together. "Lead the way."

An intruder who appeared to be unarmed with nothing besides a small sonic device and a smile: one of the stranger intruders Sif had ever seen.

Still, orders were orders and it was a relief to have willing prisoner despite it being a bit boring as well. It seemed interesting to see the way the stranger gazed at her kingdom. He acted like it was a one of a kind beauty equal to none. But his eyes seemed to carry that sense of wonder with everything he saw. A very stranger intruder, Sif thought as they reached the throne room.

Guards in shining gold armor stood at the ready to protect their king. Such a sight the height of intimidating. The Doctor, however, seemed only excited. His excitement faded as he saw Odin.

The All-Father sat upon his throne, the grey expressed age but his remaining eye roared with power.

"So this is the stranger who decides he has the right to come to my kingdom unannounced." Odin said. "What name does this stranger go by, I wonder?"

"The Doctor."

"That's a profession not a name." Odin said sternly.

"It's all I have, your highness," the Doctor said. "But I think there is something we can discuss better in private."

The king was about to ask until he met the Doctor's cold gaze. Only his eyes were stern while the rest of his body presented the same jovial attitude that had put everyone off. The Doctor's fantastic eyes managed to see into the king's eye, almost through it. As though the All-Father were wearing two pairs of eyes and the Doctor saw a deeper pair. It was this silent confirmation that forced the All-Father's hands.

"Perhaps, Doctor," Odin said. "I have a personal chamber dedicated to such a meeting. We will not be disturbed." This was said out loud to the people in the throne room, no one would question Odin's orders.

The King and the Doctor eventually found themselves in a small green room.

"Very well, Doctor," Odin said. "What must we discuss?"

"A few things," The Doctor said. "Not to be rude, but I make a habit of favoring discussions without disguises. Please, show yourself, I have no means of threatening you."

Odin paused looking at the Doctor sternly. It was clear to both men that there was no point in deception, they were both too skilled at lying to fool each other. With a sigh, Odin spoke in higher, younger, voice.

"My illusions are the finest in Asgard, I'm impressed you could see the truth, Doctor."

With a flash of green, Odin's regal appearance was swept away for a different man altogether. He had pale skin, was thin but toned to show concealed strength. His long raven black hair cascaded to his shoulders. But it was his eyes that the Doctor was fixed on, the cold merciless cleverness of this man carried a brilliance that the Doctor had rarely seen save for a few enemies.

"I suppose if the stories say any truths, I must be speaking to Loki." The Doctor said as he paced the room, keeping his distance from the god of mischief."

"You've heard of me," Loki said with a grin as he circled about in the opposite direction of the Doctor. "I'm flattered."

The two men circled about the room, moving in opposite directions but maintaining the same amount of distance between each other.

"Of course I've heard of you," The Doctor said. "Your story is very well known. Especially your downfall. Answer me this, how do you feel about winding up in a cave with venom in your eyes until Ragnarok?"

Loki's grin took on a jagged edge.

"I suppose it was crafted in good humor," Loki said. "Definitely not mine. After all, look what I accomplished. I am king."

"False king, but you get points for effort."

"KING NONE THE LESS!"

There was silence as both Loki and the Doctor spoke to study how this conversation was going. Violence would do neither of them any good. Two men had entered this room, two had to leave to leave _unharmed_ to avoid suspicion. They silently agreed to calm down and speak in a moment later.

"Sorry," the Doctor said. "I just don't like lies, especially if they lead to harming others."

"That is not my interest in ruling."

"Then what is?"

Loki paused before answering, it was clear that this was something he thought he would never tell a soul.

"I wish to prove myself an adept ruler," Loki said. "I have the natural skills to rule. But my past failures would deter anyone from trusting my judgement. So I've had to hide behind the All-Father's face, to gain their trust."

"Which will matter for nothing if the truth gets out," the Doctor said. "Say you truly wished to rule, no ulterior motive besides a wish to prove yourself a just ruler. All your subjects will see is a man who seeks to deceive people to their doom. I at least hope for your sake that Odin is still in fact alive?"

"Of course," Loki said. "I'm not a monster."

The Doctor didn't say a word.

"So, Doctor," Loki said. "Where do we go from here?"

"Not truly sure." The Doctor said. "I took the time to study the kingdom under your rule. No poverty, no cruel enforcement, and no actual sign of cruel rule. Personally, I feel you would have had a much easier time if you had served your sentence then found a way to rule naturally."

"You don't know my past nor my nature," Loki said. "Both prevent me from reaching the throne. Deception was the only way."

"I'll admit, you have arguably done very well to have gotten this far. But you also strike me as a person who has tried to rule by deception before. This strikes me as an act of desperation, not brilliance."

Loki glared.

"Honesty might be your only chance, find a moment where you can reveal yourself, a moment of heroism and the people might change their mind about you."

"And how would you propose I do that?" Loki said.

"You're clever, you'll think of something," the Doctor said. "However, I wish to make sure Odin is safe. He is the first you must convince of your 'honest rule'."

"He's been my prisoner." Loki scowled

"Which should make your plea for appeal that much more hilarious." The Doctor said with a grin. "Unless you want to try your luck with the rest of the throne room?"

Loki didn't have anything to say. So instead the two men went to see the All-Father. He was kept in a cell, secure and unknown except to Loki. They spent several hours arguing, discussing, and ultimately agreeing to wait until Loki could prove himself.

This was not a gift but a challenge and Loki knew he could not fail again.

So Loki and Doctor had a discussion about Gallifrey. Loki knew nothing of it. He said, however, that when it came to illusion that there was only so long an illusion may last.

"If I were you," Loki said. "I'd make sure you're the first one to find it. I assume if a whole world has to vanish, they made many enemies after all."

The Doctor decided he had spent enough time chatting, especially since Loki's theory carried a far more realistic weight than he was comfortable with.

The Doctor was escorted back to the Tardis, where he had a moment to talk things over with Heimdall.

"You knew," The Doctor said. "All this time, you knew Loki was… who he was."

"A common cell could never hold the All-Father or Loki," Heimdall said. "What better entrapment than to force Loki to serve the people, to realize what it takes to have an honest rule. All of this is being well contained."

"Shame you have to lie to the people."

"It's the only way to give Loki freedom that will keep him alive."

The Doctor nodded.

"Why didn't you expose Loki's deception?"

"Simple really," the Doctor said. "I've never met a man or woman I don't believe lacks the potential to be better than they were. To simply end a person and any chance of being more is one of the worst crimes and one can perform and I hope to never do it again."

"And you believe in Gallifrey you can achieve this peace?"

"I can try." The Doctor said with a smile.

Heimdall smiled back.

"Doctor, I cannot say for certain where Gallifrey is, in relation to your travels," Heimdall said. "It is very well hidden."

"I wouldn't expect much less from me." The Doctor said with a sigh.

"But it is out there." Heimdall said.

The Doctor looked at the all-seeing guard. A word of hope at last, not much but certainly better than none. So with a nod, the Doctor turned and began his travels again. Asgard was well looked after, and he needed to do the same for his own world before it was too late.


	4. Columbia

The Tardis soared across a bizarre sight, a city in the sky.

It literally seemed to be held up by the clouds but closer inspection entailed that it hovered from propulsion machines of impressive caliber. The strangest thing was that this was Earth, the year 1912. City built on impossible science that floated like a palace in the sky, it was dream come true for any time traveler.

Unfortunately his wish to explore it was reciprocated by a shadowy force as the Tardis lost control of its gravity controls and spiraled down into the city streets.

The Doctor managed to gracefully land the device. unsure of what he was going to face, the Doctor made the sonic screwdriver come out of the door first. He heard laughter outside the Tardis. This made him curious as he stuck his head out and gazed at citizens giddily applauding him as though his crash landing had been some form of spectacle out of a circus.

Not wishing to risk suspicion, the Doctor played along as he stepped out of the Tardis and bowed to respective audience.

"Thank you, thank you," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor, I travel a bit using my Tardis here."

"Can you show us?" A young boy asked.

This caused the crowd to cheer the Doctor on. It was an odd thing for the Doctor to be the subject of so much positive energy. Something in the back of his mind told him this was too good to be true. But he decided to enjoy it as much as he could and decided to satisfy the boy's wish.

However, the Tardis was locked shut.

That was the first real warning that things were bad, the Tardis was preventing people from coming inside. He could have used the key, but decided not to until he discerned what matter of threat would scare the Tardis to take such desperate measures.

"It seems my ship has a problem," the Doctor said with a casual shrug. "Anyone know of a person who might be helpful?"

The answer was almost unanimous.

"THE PROPHET, THE PROPHET COMSTOCK!"

"Brilliant," the Doctor said as he rubbed his ears from the shouting. "Know where I can find him?"

"He'll be hosting a meeting this afternoon. In front of the statue of the Child. You can see it from here."

The Doctor followed the man's finger and saw a marvelous statue. It was an angel but unlike the usual breed the Doctor deals with, this was a genuine beauty. That little itch that struck the Doctor and usually got him in the middle of all kinds of trouble was going crazy.

Things were going to get interesting.

"All right, let's all go meet the Prophet." The Doctor said as he raised his hands excitedly.

The crowd cheered and guided him through the town. He maintained his pleasant smile while his eyes scanned the area. Segregation was strong in all the wrong ways. Black men and women reduced to servitude or worse, treated like less than human. It made both of the Doctor's hearts ache to see such a sight. Nothing justified such treatment, ever.

This place was starting to get less pleasant with each passing second.

Fortunately, it seemed like he wouldn't need to stay for long.

The Prophet in all his bearded glory stood on a podium before a sea of people while a band played in the background. It had the zeal of a religious ceremony. Especially with Comstock's booming voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it warms my heart to see so many of Columbia's finest come out to show their support. I know it has been a hard road, the journey towards paradise, so many struggles, but I am proud to state that very soon the wait will soon be over. Behind me, the Child is almost ready to achieve our final salvation!"

The crowd cheered.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the statue. He pulled out his screwdriver and took a quick scan. The dings that came proved to him that the energy disturbance that disturbed the Tardis was housed within. He only realized that all eyes were on him when the music stopped.

"I have not seen your face, stranger," Comstock said with a stern tone. "Strangers are a rare and dangerous thing for our community."

Already the animosity was boiling around the Doctor. This was not a pleasant community, it was an angry mob designed to pieces anything deemed a threat by the probably all-knowing prophet. The Doctor needed to mount a defense to at least secure his status as a non-threat.

At the very least, it might help him achieve some running distance.

"So sorry to trouble you, Prophet Comstock," the Doctor said quickly. "I'm the Doctor, a great doctor in fact. I was called in to take a look at your salvation, the child within the statue."

"I gave no such decree." Comstock said. "In fact I have a half a mind to believe you're in league with the False Shepard!"

That made the crowd jump back as though the Doctor were diseased.

This was troubling, very troubling. The worst fact was that the Doctor knew so little about this land to mount a proper defense.

That was when his ears heard something whiz by his head.

A bullet struck the podium.

"COMSTOCK!"

A man was charging at the crowd, guns blazing, causing the angry mob to shriek and hide for cover. Comstock dodged the bullet fire as several armed men and women formed up on the Prophet, creating a shield that prevented any further damage from being suffered on their holy figure.

The Doctor concluded that the mad man with the guns was this False Shepard but the look in his eyes defined a man struck by a guilt, a once noble warrior who had been given a noble cause. Considering the company he had around him, the Doctor decided to take his chances.

The guards were preparing to retaliate.

The Doctor wished to avoid violence and chose to do things his way.

"Covers your ears!" the Doctor shouted to the False Shepard before aiming his sonic screwdriver at the podium. This caused a horrific shriek to come from the speakers which made everyone's ears ring. The False Shepard had heeded the Doctor's advice as he stampeded forward with his ears covered by his hands. The Doctor ran alongside him as they ascended the stairs and rushed inside the statue.

"Stop them!" Comstock screamed. "They must not reach her!"

The crowd came to life as they started to come up the stairs. The Doctor spun about, ready to face the mob. With a wide grin, the Doctor immediately pointed his screwdriver at the electric console he had noticed with his keen eyes as he ran up the stairs. Several metal gates rattled shut in front of the Doctor.

His actions impeded the mob and short circuited the console, no one would be getting through this way. He could see the rifles of the guards come into view. Bullets definitely had the advantage. The Doctor spun around and caught up with the False Shepard just as bullets started to fly by.

The False Shepard and the Doctor rounded a corner and were safe, for now.

"That was quite the trick back there." The False Shepard said.

"You're welcome." The Doctor said. "Now I'm the Doctor and I am led to believe you are the False Shepard?"

"Yeah, that's what these nuts keep calling me," the man said with a sigh. "My real name is Booker, Booker DeWitt."

"Well, Booker, care to explain what's going on here?"

The man actually found it surprising that he had a moment to simply talk. It was clear to the Doctor that this man had probably been fighting for his life for most of his time here.

"Well you saw a bit of it yourself, Doc," Booker said. "Comstock's made himself out to be some kind of god to these idiots. I've been hearing talk of fire raining down from the sky. Which leads me to believe that there's going to be some kind of war and trust me, with the kind of artillery they have up here, it ain't going to be pretty."

"And where does this 'Child of the Prophet" come into play."

"Elizabeth," Booker said sternly. "Her name is Elizabeth… and it's my fault she's stuck in this statue again."

"A woman," the Doctor said. "What matter of a woman could help create so much devastation?"

"If we manage to get up there, you'll find out for yourself."

"Just one thing I can't put my finger on," the Doctor said. "Judging by your stature, I'd assume you're a retired soldier. But you clearly come from the ground, your head for all its troubles is not full of the hot air these idiots have been breathing. Where's your place in this game."

Booker grimaced as he told the Doctor his story.

"I got in deep with bad people and the only way to clear my debt is to get Elizabeth to New York City. She found out and broke away from me, right into their clutches again."

"You planned on handing a poor girl from one oppressor to another." The Doctor concluded coldly.

"Hey, I didn't… yeah… I guess that is the best of putting just how much of a bastard I am."

"Indeed."

"But it's different now," Booker said as he looked up. "Elizabeth has been stuck up there, being sculpted to be a weapon. Never being allowed to really live. I may be damned, Doc, but I can at least make sure she stays pure. Even if I have to die to give her that chance, I'll do it, no questions asked."

The Doctor looked at the grim man. Redemption was a motivation he knew all too well. It was what helped him to make a decision that saved his planet when he initially burned it. Everyone deserves a chance at redemption.

"While I may not admire your initial reasons or your actions, I have to respect a man willing to do what's right in the end. And I'm no fan to people being used against their will. Count on my help, Mr. DeWitt, at least until we help Elizabeth be free from her oppressive tower."

It seemed in the Doctor's mind, angels would always leads to disaster for him and all those he cared about.

Booker sighed but looked at the Doctor with a relieved look in his eyes.

"I'm not complaining about having an extra pair of hands, Doc," Booker said. "But you're armed with nothing but that weird ringing thing. I'm not sure how you can actually help."

The Doctor grinned as he his brilliantly clever mind began to concentrate on the task at hand, a very dangerous proposition for anyone who was his enemy at the moment.

"You'll found out soon enough, Mr. DeWitt. This is going to be fun."

Booker looked at the strange man and couldn't help smiling back. This Doctor seemed to have something that might change his luck and hopefully Elizabeth's fate. Together, the two men, one of violence and one of peace, went to save the day.


	5. Elizabeth

Booker and the Doctor carefully made their way up the tower. Along the way they came across some kind of generator that shined a radiant blue aura. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver went haywire as they entered the room.

"What is all of this?" The Doctor as he looked at the screwdriver in confusion.

"It's Elizabeth," Booker said. "I don't know how she does it, but she can actually create portals to other worlds."

"You mean tears," the Doctor said as he looked at the research that illustrated Elizabeth's power. "She can literally tear a hole in reality. That's impossible."

"Trust me, it's for real." Booker said. "She can pull things out of thin air. Balloons, ammo, whole worlds. It's crazy."

"That's one word for it," The Doctor said. "Life ending insanity also sums it up quite nicely. This is the kind of power that can rip apart all of reality. How did Elizabeth get this power?"

Booker didn't answer immediately. His mind went back to his failure. When he first met Elizabeth, she wondered if he was actually real. They had to fight for their lives. All she wanted to do was dance, talk, and make her way to Paris. She was too smart for him, she recognized the coordinates on the airship they were going to use to escape, she knew he was taking her to New York, that he had lied to her. She struck him in the head and ran for it.

He had chased her down, but she kept creating portals. She made dimensional rifts to realms that didn't have the walls in their dimension. The last portal she opened made her ran right into four of Comstock's thugs. She fought them off as best she could but she wasn't a fighter. Booker tried to shoot them down but his bullets couldn't go through the rift. The thugs had been equipped to capture Elizabeth. Two of them held her while another clamped some kind of rag over her face. She struggled but soon went limp, the portal completely faded as she passed out.

Booker tried to get around to the other side, shooting down as many of the men as he could. When he finally made it to the spot, the massive monstrosity called the Songbird was carrying the unconscious Elizabeth away.

This lead him to take the fight right to Comstock which is he where he met the Doctor. With this strange but clever Doctor, Booker thought he might actually reach Elizabeth, but after he did… Booker wondered if he deserved to try and get Elizabeth to trust him. Booker realized that the Doctor was still waiting for an answer.

"I have no clue how she actually got this power, Doc," Booker said. "If she's got any sense left in her, she'll stay far away from me. But she still needs help. Doctor, can you promise that you'll help get as far away from here as you can."

The Doctor looked like a punk but he carried a look in his eyes as though he was older than time itself. He seemed to understand the weight of his words.

"Okay, I promise." The Doctor said. "Now let's go help Elizabeth."

The Doctor and Booker ran up the stairs. At the top of the stairs was a massive robot armed with a Gatling Gun whose face was sculpted to resemble George Washington minus the eyes that blazed like something spawned from an electronic Hell.

"Fore score and seven years ago…" the machine chipped its iconic America spoken words as it fired a storm of bullets at the two men. The Doctor ran for cover behind a nearby pillar while Booker fired at the mechanical beast of corroded patriotism.

Booker didn't have pillar to hide behind and he was about to run into the wall. The only way he could move was right into the bullets. Nothing on his persons had the fire power to tackle something that massive. It looked like he wasn't going to make it past this point. The least he could do for the Doctor, for Elizabeth, was to make a last stand.

The gun slowly made its way to Booker while all of his bullets barely scratched the metal surface of the cold being. He was almost tempted to close his eyes if it wasn't for that stubborn instinct that made him face everything to the bitter end. His last minute decision helped him witness a bizarre sight.

The colossal patriot machine twitched about, apparently it was malfunctioning. It pun about, no longer firing its weapon and crashed onto the ground. Booker wasn't much of a religious man, but this definitely seemed to be along the lines of a miracle.

That was until he heard a familiar buzzing sound. Booker turned his head to see that the Doctor had managed to shut down the machine using that weird device of his.

"We should hurry on before reinforcements come along." The Doctor said as he put the device in his pocket.

Booker didn't know what to say to that ridiculous display of power. The only thing that came to mind was that he should pick up the patriot machine's gun, it might come in handy. The Doctor seemed troubled by Booker's decision but didn't protest it. They knew things were likely to get worse.

Together, they ran up the remaining flight of stairs. There was a metal door with a wheel mechanism. The Doctor pointed his instrument at the wheel which spun open.

"Is there anything you don't use that thing for?" Booker asked at the door opened.

"You make it sound like its cheating," the Doctor muttered. "Well if you must know I use it for just about everything except knitting, on principal."

Booker would have decided that the Doctor would always seem a little odd but that would imply that he had a moment where he thought the Doctor wasn't. Still, he couldn't ask for a better ally. This feeling was doubled as they heard loud chirp from what could have been a metal bird. Booker's heart ran cold at the sound while the Doctor grinned ear to ear.

"What is that?" Doctor said excitedly.

"Trouble," Booker muttered as he eyed the amount of ammunition in the Gatling gun. "We're about to head outside, the pathway leads right into the inner chamber. This gun should be able to hold it off for at least a few minutes while we make a run for it."

"You make it sound like we don't stand a chance."

"We don't," Booker muttered. "No offense, Doc, but I'm not even sure you're little buzzer is going to do much against the Songbird."

"So that's its name," the Doctor said as he looked in to the ceiling as though he could see it. "Well it obviously knows we're here, best to go out in full force. It'd be rude to do anything less. Ready?"

Booker gripped the handles on the gun tighter.

"Ready."

"Geronimo!" The Doctor shouted as he threw the door open.

They felt the cold wind brush right into their faces. The city of Columbus of below and they were at a very disturbing height that would make lesser souls faint in sheer terror. If the sleek metal surface they struggled to climb by a slender rope wasn't enough, the monstrous chirping returned.

A massive creature of pale gold with pulsing eyes zoomed by, making the whole stature quake from its surreal strength. The Doctor watched it fly by with childlike wonder that changed to sorrow as he realized the obvious.

"That thing was a man," the Doctor said grimly. "Tortured, experimented, and rewired to serve as a killing machine. All in the name of this Prophet. I'm beginning to truly dislike Comstock."

"Took you long enough." Booker said.

"I choose my times to get angry very diligently, Booker," the Doctor said as he marched forward. "Comstock should have known better than to have things like these for people like me to see. Things aren't going to go well for him because of this. We need to move."

The Doctor seemed to carry a darker mood in his step. He actually seemed to be a different man in Booker's eyes. The darkness brimming from him almost made him fear for Comstock, perhaps there was a limit to suffering that the Doctor wasn't aware of in his rage. Booker decided the best option was to follow and not allow that rage to turn on him.

The Chirping returned and the Songbird barreled down from above as it went right for them. Booker turned and fired but found out too late that the gun was already out of ammo. The Doctor pointed his device at the creature without looking, the buzzing seemed to have a harsher tone to it.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said as he made the device buzz even louder.

The Songbird screeched in pain, one of its eyes blew out, and it spiraled out of control. It crashed into the statue just below the railing and tumbled down to the base of the statue where Comstock was preaching earlier. It didn't move.

"It's still alive," The Doctor said as he reached the next door. "I made it have a little bit more difficulty in moving. Hopefully that's all that needs to be done. Come along."

The Doctor gripped the wheel with his hands and turned it open with immense force. He seemed to become ragged from the sorrows around him. Booker dropped the now useless Gatling gun and pulled out his pistol from before. He hoped it would be enough, after all he definitely didn't want to see what happened when the Doctor fully expressed his rage.

They entered rooms that Booker became familiar with the last time he came to the tower. He various rooms with one way mirrors that looked into Elizabeth's room. The place where she danced, her workroom where she made equations, and the pictures of a Paris she truly wished to see with her own eyes. They were empty now, no sign of the joy or warmth that Elizabeth brought to the place.

There was a humming in the distance that grew louder with each room they entered. The Doctor took in all the sights silently but his mood did seem to lighten. Perhaps his curiosity about what kind of girl Elizabeth was could actually be enough to outweigh his rage.

The last opened and made both men pause in terror.

Elizabeth was in the center of a room full of books. Generators similar to the kind that the Doctor saw earlier surrounded her only smaller. There weren't any restraints to keep her in place, there didn't need to be. The generators seemed to drain the energy out of Elizabeth but also force it back inside, which created a kind of constant surge of energy that looked like it was truly agonizing.

The two men were so distracted that they almost didn't hear the sound of the men running up towards their location. Booker turned to close the door but they had already reached it. So Booker started to fire through the doorway to scare them back. It worked and he managed to close the door but the force of ten people pushing told him he could hold it for long.

"Whatever you got to do make it quick, Doc!" Booker grunted.

Elizabeth looked up from the pain at the sound of an impossible voice. But there he was, Booker had come back for her. He had also brought a strange man with a bow tie. This stranger gave Elizabeth a sympathetic smile through sad eyes as he aimed a device at the generators. All the generators shut down and broke apart.

Part of Elizabeth wanted to shed tears of relief that the pain was gone. Another part of her came to life however. Anger, fury equal to none except the strange man who seemed to share her rage despite not suffering her afflictions. This kinship gave her strength. The Doctor didn't even offer Elizabeth a hand up, not to be rude but from the reality that Elizabeth didn't need his or anyone's help. Not anymore.

"Booker," Elizabeth said sternly. "Move."

Booker didn't hesitate as he left the door quickly. Without Booker, the door burst open and the guards started to charge in. As they aimed their rifles at Booker and the Doctor, Elizabeth raised a hand towards them.

A bright light appeared behind the soldiers as room was replaced by cornfield with a tornado so large it seemed to consume the sky. The guards were merged right in with the field and were pulled in without ever firing a shot. Elizabeth closed the portal as a tear ran down her cheek from remorse for what she had done. She turned to look at the Doctor as well as Booker, both men ready to help support her after her turmoil. She refused to be weak enough to lean on them, not yet.

"Thank you both for coming to help," Elizabeth said. "Comstock, my Father, he tried to make me absorb all that rift energy, to make me stronger but also break me to his will. You helped keep most of me alive, thank you, sir." Elizabeth said as she brushed a hand through her short brunette hair.

"Glad to help," the time lord said. "I'm the Doctor, here to continue being of help, if you'll have me."

"At this point, I'll take all the help I can get." Elizabeth said with an enthusiastic huff.

Her eyes turned to look at Booker he seemed to squirm with regret slightly.

"Elizabeth," Booker said after a moment. "I… I didn't realize just how bad things were for you. All I wanted to do wa-"

"I heard you," Elizabeth said. "The rift energy made a lot of holes around the statue. I heard all about your change of heart." Elizabeth smiled slightly as she said.

"But never lie to me _again_." She said with one last ounce of rage.

"Never again, I swear." Booker said with a nod. "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth paused as she looked at Booker and realized that this was the first time she saw him admit he was wrong.

"Me too." Elizabeth answered back.

The two exchanged a small smile, a brief friendship now had the potential to be renewed.

The Doctor waited until the moment was over before he spoke.

"We need to figure out our next move."

"No we don't," Elizabeth said. "I sensed everything Comstock did and everything plans to do with or without me. This nightmare can't continue. I aim to end it, to stop Comstock once and for all. Booker, Doctor, you don't need to come with me, but I am going to stop this."

"You make it sound like we have a choice in the matter." Booker said. "My previous deal is worth nothing. The only thing that matters is keeping you safe."

"Same goes for me," the Doctor said. "Personal motto, never abandon a friend no matter how briefly you know them."

Elizabeth looked the two interesting men. One a liar who might just find some redemption and the other a stranger who looked like he might have seen even more horror than either of them combined and wished to keep others from suffering the same fate.

She couldn't ask for better allies.

"Let's move," Elizabeth said. "We've got a lot of work to do."

She opened a portal behind her and they entered it together. Booker and the Doctor were now secondary characters. This was Elizabeth's fight for her freedom and they'd be there every step of the way. It gave Elizabeth an air of peace as she prepared to rain fire down on Comstock and crush the mad Prophet's wickedness once and for all.


	6. Comstock Paradox

Columbia's once cheerful streets had emptied. All the citizens were indoors while others fled to airboats that would take them down to Earth's surface. The latter would live the rest of their lives in silent confirmation that they once lived in the sky, before things went bad.

Before the Child rained down destruction on Columbia.

Elizabeth led the charge with the Doctor and Booker doing their best to keep up with her. She created portals that summoned everything from tidal waves to fire storms. Despite her battered appearance, Elizabeth seemed to carry the strength of a hundred Elizabeth's within her. The Doctor was silent through the battle as the guards in their way were knocked down or simply scared off. His only justification for this was that Elizabeth was going out of her way not to kill.

"These men are simply following orders," Elizabeth said. "There is only one person who must perish."

He knew she was talking about Comstock, the dreaded man of terror who had made her life Hell along many other terrible travesties he performed in the name of being a Prophet. This man needed to be stopped the Doctor concluded, but he was not sure as to who exactly Elizabeth was.

She seemed different. Not just in control of her power but also self-aware of what needed to be done. The chaos was too well contained, well-orchestrated to be spur of the moment.

Leave it to a time traveler to notice when something has clearly been done before.

They fought their way through the various mobs of enemies, all of whom paled in power to Elizabeth. Even Booker was stunned. He remembered how it took an effort to make a single tear. Now Elizabeth seemed to do it as easily as blinking. There was also the way she looked at him as though it were with a mixture of joy, regret, and bitterness.

This was but wasn't the Elizabeth he had come to know.

Neither man knew what was truly going on but felt like they had been added as pawns in a game where the opponent had yet to truly show their hand.

All three of them stopped as they stood outside the massive mansion that was Comstock's home and house for horrors unknown.

"We should sneak in." The Doctor said.

"No need," Elizabeth said. "He'd be an idiot I'm coming. Let's just get this over with."

Elizabeth raised her hands and brought them down. A tear in reality summoned cannon fire from what looked like a pirate ship which obliterated the gate. Elizabeth marched inside the building and the two men followed, the Doctor at a slower pace due a feeling knowing that there was no really a rush.

They never made a wrong turn, faced opponents that Elizabeth knew exactly how to strike them down, and mostly seemed to stroll right to where they needed to be. Eventually they arrived at a massive door and there was no doubt who was on the other side.

Elizabeth looked at Booker and the Doctor not out of reassurance for her strength so much as theirs. With a nod from each of them, Elizabeth turned to face the door.

"Father, I'm home." Elizabeth said through gritted teeth as she shoved the door open.

They stood in a massive garden with domed metal ceiling that made the place feel like a chapel. This seemed disturbingly proper considering the baptismal fountain at the far end of the room with the Prophet beside it.

"Elizabeth, my child," Comstock said with open arms. "Come to me, let me clean up your wounds."

Elizabeth didn't move forward.

"Elizabeth, you're being rude." Comstock said sternly.

"I've done this scene too many times, Comstock," Elizabeth said. "Aren't you tired of it. All of this?"

"Not so long as there is a chance to make things right," Comstock said. "For you, my daughter, to make the right choice."

"What are you talking about?" Booker said. "Elizabeth, you knew this was going to happen."

"You better tell him," the Doctor said. "Both of you. It'd be cruel not to."

"Tell me what, Doc?" Booker said with a shocked look in his eyes as he realized that the Doctor knew what was going on even though he'd been there for only a few hours."

"As my late wife would say," the Doctor said as he stepped up to the fountain. "Spoilers."

Booker, dazed by being room with people who were all on the same script except him, and chose to simply follow the Doctor.

Elizabeth, with a bitter sigh, followed them.

Booker, Elizabeth, and the Doctor all took a position around the fountain, opposite Comstock.

"Okay," Booker said. "Someone start explaining to me what's going on?"

Comstock turned and looked at Booker as though he were diseased.

"Have you ever looked at him, Elizabeth, truly looked him. My goodness, he is so vile so brutish. A killer without remorse who only realizes he's made a mistake when it is far too late to do anything about it. How can you possibly continue to choose him over me?"

"Because unlike you, even though he makes horrible mistakes, he owns up to them. He tries to do right in the end, always. You never could."

"What I did to you was for your own good, for the good of Columbia!"

"So caught up in your desires that you don't even see me as your daughter, just a means to an end," Elizabeth said. "Booker is more of a father to me than you ever could be."

Booker was amazed that Elizabeth spoke so highly of him, they barely knew each other outside of this war zone.

"It's more than nostalgia, Booker." the Doctor said.

"What do you mean, Doc?"

The Doctor sighed. He had that dark look in his eyes that he had before when he stopped the Songbird. He looked like a man who was about do something neither of them would like.

"Booker, I want you to be the one to find out what's happening. Look at Comstock. Not out of anger, or rage. I want you to look at every detail of his face. The rest will explain itself."

Elizabeth seemed to share this sympathy as she stepped out of the way to allow Booker to look at Comstock face to face.

It was difficult but Booker did as the Doctor asked and stopped looking at Comstock as the parasite he was. Booker looked at an old man with a well-kept silver white beard and piercing eyes. The eyes, that was what did it. After his heart started beating from the sudden revelation, Booker looked at every feature of Comstock's appearance, to find some kind of proof that it wasn't true. He failed.

Booker almost fell from shock but caught himself on the baptismal fountain. He looked down at his reflection. He looked down at Comstock's reflection.

He was clearly older, clearly different, but there was no denying the face he had seen his whole life in various reflections.

You can't deny seeing yourself.

And just like that, a barrier is his mind broke down and a memory that had been scattered by dimensional rifts flashed in front of his eyes.

After Wounded Knee, Booker remembered going to a Baptism. He only had to accept it and he'd cleansed of his sins, his past, and his very name forgotten. Something stopped him, a desire to do better maybe, but he refused the Baptism at last minute.

He had a family, a daughter. But his daughter was taken from him, he tried to get her back only to realize the truth. He had struggled to stop a younger Comstock, and he had lost. His baby girl was being pulled away as a portal closed in front of him. The rift cut off the child's finger.

Finger…

Booker turned to look at Elizabeth, at the stub of a finger that should have been her pinkie.

"Anna…" Booker said his daughter's name for the first time in years, finally realizing he was looking at her once more.

Elizabeth reached out and caressed his hand, a gentle smile on her face as she nodded. Tears came down Booker's eyes.

The Doctor decided to give Booker and Elizabeth a moment and turned his attention to Comstock who seemed displeased at this union.

"Most people think you have to know everything to be a prophet," the Doctor said. "It's actually much simpler. All you need is knowledge about what to do at a specific moment and how to achieve it. A bit of an echo from the future is all it takes and I bet you listened to those whispers, didn't you Comstock? You listened to portals that Elizabeth created, because she was between worlds. Fractured, at the right moment that enabled her to have the ability to open worlds. Time is everywhere past, present, and future. All one needs to do is listen and you become a God."

"Prophet," Comstock snapped. "You seem to speak with some air of experience with time travel, Doctor."

"More experience than any person should have a right to," the Doctor said. "More than enough to realize that while Booker is experiencing them for the first time, you both have experienced these events before."

Booker looked at Elizabeth and saw no denial in her eyes.

"How long did you know?" Elizabeth said, not taking her eyes off of Booker.

"When I set you free." The Doctor explained. "You used your ability too well for it to be an accident. So while not perfect, hence the capture, you carry an uncanny advantage throughout the multiple worlds you probably walked. All of them revolved around three things: Booker, Comstock, and the moment you met each of them. That is how this paradox can go on. But to what end?"

Elizabeth turned away from Booker and glared at Comstock.

"My goal is to end you," Elizabeth said. "In every world, all worlds, until you're gone."

"An impossible goal," Comstock said. "I am in every world you found a home. Yes you managed to kill me many times. But so long as there is a paradise where science reigns supreme, there will always be me. There will always be Comsto-"

A bullet to the chest silenced Comstock's words. It was surprising to see just how mortal the mad prophet truly was as he his blood poured out onto the grass. Booker holstered his pistol a moment later.

"It's over." Booker said.

"No," Elizabeth said as a tear went down her cheek. "It's not over. Not yet."

Booker was confused until Elizabeth opened a portal that swallowed all of them. They were no longer in the corrupt garden. They were in a pond with a church in the distance. Booker knew this place, it was where he was going to be baptized.

"Comstock exists as long as he is capable of being born. You refused the baptism, but other Bookers didn't. They were reborn as a new man."

"Comstock." Booker said as all the pieces come together.

"There's only one way of stopping it," Elizabeth said. "This is where he was born. We have to end him at the source."

Other Elizabeth's arrived. All looked different but the same. The Doctor realized what was happening.

"Ending a paradox with a paradox," the Doctor said. "Clever." His tone was grim.

Booker didn't fight the revelation. He felt responsible for Elizabeth. He only wished for her to be safe. No matter what it takes.

The Elizabeths formed around him. He didn't fight them as they carefully lowered him into the water. He held Elizabeth's hand as struggled for air. The Elizabeths faded away, they was no longer a reason for them to exist. And so ended the evil of Comstock by the sacrifice of Booker DeWitt.

Several hours later, the Tardis carried Elizabeth and the Doctor to a rooftop in New York. They stood opposite another building. Inside was another Booker DeWitt, in his arms was a baby Anna. Both were happy, at peace.

"Why show me this?" Elizabeth said.

"Because it's something you always wished to see," the Doctor said. "I saw the look in your eyes. You knew what had to be done but for all his faults you still loved your father, Booker. I understand you still need to hunt down whatever Comstocks might be left. I just thought you'd like to see that in one of the many dimensions where things went wrong, that it went right for both of you here."

Elizabeth watched the two in the window. She could even see all sorts of things. College, marriage, children, and her father with her every step of the way. Peace in a multiverse of suffering.

"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "You said you were looking for your world, Doctor. For what you've shown me, I'll gladly help you find it."

"Unfortunately that is something I can't let you do," the Doctor said with a sigh. "Your power is a paradox. I can't risk that paradox touching Gallifrey. Finding and bringing back my home is my task, finishing this evil is yours."

Elizabeth wanted to protest but they were both too clever to deny the truth in the Doctor's words. So instead they parted as friends. The Doctor took her back to chain of multiverse worlds and he returned to his search. Being a spectator to the inner evil in all reminded him of the time he faced his own darkness many regeneration ago.

While Gallifrey was hopefully in his future, the Valeyard was still certain.

Darkness was in everyone, but if facing this evil meant that he too could find peace like Booker, that Gallifrey could exist, he could only hope to be as strong as Booker was in the end.


	7. Aperture Science

The Tardis wasn't having the best week. This statement was arguably irrelevant for a time machine, but it was the best the Doctor could come up with in his mind. The console had frozen up again, something had managed to freeze up the whole Tardis.

He missed the roundels on the earlier incarnations of the Tardis, they were designed to enable him to view anything that might be a threat outside. Both he and the Tardis decided to take a more carefree method of going about the universe. Or maybe he simply liked the idea of being surprised, he forgot after all this time.

Still, if someone had taken the time to ensnare him, it'd be rude not to acknowledge their efforts.

The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis and almost fell into a bottomless of certain death. It was at times like these the Doctor wished he at least had an umbrella to catch his fall like the old days. At least he managed to get a grip on the Tardis, but that left him dangling out into the unknown.

Fortunately he wasn't alone.

A woman stood on a nearby plateau of metal. She wore an orange jumpsuit and had her black hair in a messy ponytail. She had a strange shoes and stranger white object that was shaped like a gun.

"Hello down there," the Time Lord said. "I'm the Doctor. Care to help a Time Lord not fall to his death?"

The woman was silent. She just stared at him. It was difficult to discern what the woman was thinking, which was usually something the Doctor was very good at.

He didn't have much time to worry about that as the Tardis lurched forward. His grip was slipping and the only nearby place to land was a metal panel. If he didn't fall to his death, he'd be breaking his legs. The woman stared blankly at his peril.

"Not to pull you away from whatever's going on in your head, but I wouldn't mind some assistance!"

The Tardis lurched forward again, harder and the Doctor lost his grip.

Both his hearts skipped a beat as he plummeted towards his doom.

A flash of orange blinded the Doctor the second before he hit the panel. However he only hit empty air. The Doctor spun about, confused by the shift in gravity and the feeling that he was higher up than he was before. He fall was stopped by someone catching him.

The Doctor looked up to see that the woman in the orange jumpsuit had him cradled in her arms.

"Um, thanks." The Doctor said.

The woman nodded as she let him down to the ground.

The Doctor looked at the woman's attire more specifically. The boots looked like they had suspension control: she could fall from any height and support the weight of a full grown Time Lord. He scanned the white gun, apparently a portal gun according to his scan, which explained the two portals. So that was how she did it, the Doctor grinned, very clever.

"Well done." Doctor said. "What's your name?"

The woman looked at him but didn't speak. He realized that she seemed to be unable to speak. There was a way around this.

The Doctor leaned in and pressed his forehead into the woman's. This was much less jarring than the usual method of telepathic link. While the woman's mind seemed to be a jumble of confusion created usually from hyper sleep, but a name did surface.

"Chell," the Doctor said. "It's very nice name."

Chell nodded, it seemed like she didn't express herself through smiling or frowning, and possibly couldn't blink. The Doctor couldn't remember the last he met a human being who seemed incapable of blinking, she'd do wonders against the Weeping Angels.

"Alright, Chell," the Doctor said as he looked up at the Tardis. "Is there a way to widen the size of that portal, because I'd prefer my Tardis to be on the ground if you don't mind?"

Before Chell could do anything, the mechanical hand that held the Tardis pulled it away.

"Oi," the Doctor screamed. "Give that back. That doesn't belong to you!"

The mechanical hand was immune to the Doctor's protests as the Tardis vanished from sight. Things were not looking up for the Time Lord, but he didn't have much that could help solve this situation.

The only person he could rely on was his silent but impressive ally.

"You wouldn't happen to know what took my Tardis?"

Chell nodded.

"Let me guess, I wouldn't like to find out."

Chell shook her head.

The Doctor sighed, things could never be easy, but that just made sure they were never boring.

"Well I'm going to go get it back anyway. Could you help me get there?"

Chell nodded, a serious flash came into typically blank eyes. Apparently she had some business as well. The Doctor decided like all bad things that come his way, they'd be explained soon enough.

The Doctor and Chell made their way through several hallways along the way. Empty offices and broken computer monitors lined the halls like hollow tomb stones of industry. The Doctor couldn't imagine what could cause such isolation.

_** "There you**_** are."**

The voice came like a sledgehammer to any sense of safety in the Doctor's mind. It sounded feminine, intelligent in all the wrong ways, and the way Chell seemed to grow angrier at the sound proved things were about to get bad.

_** "Oh, you brought a friend," **_The voice said. _**"Your file says you didn't deserve friends. I guess mistakes can happen, but don't worry, the rest of your failures are on file, as they should be."**_

"Well that's quite rude," the Doctor said. "What reason could anyone possibly have to be so rude?"

_** "It is not rude if it is fact, **_"the voice said. _**"I am GLaDOS. My passion is science. A passion this mute maniac beside you has defied continually. I am correct in assuming you're the stranger who arrived in the time travel device?"**_

"Depends," the Doctor said. "Would that make you the one who took it?"

_** "And if I am?"**_

"Well then things are very simple," The Doctor said. "Give it back, let her go, and nothing needs to get difficult."

_** "Ha, Ha, Ha,"**_GLaDOS droned. _**"That was so funny, I forgot how to laugh. That was a joke. Just like the idea that you think you can match wits with me. But perhaps seeing you try to stay alive with this troublemaker might be excellent for science. She refused to go into the incinerator once her tests were complete, and I had promised cake. Enjoy working with this rude, mute, monster. I certainly plan to enjoy what happens, for science." **_

GLaDOS left them a moment later. The silence was as irritating as her voice. It also didn't help that the camera in the corner of the hallway proved they were being watched.

A flash of blue and orange dislocated the camera from the wall with a spark.

The Doctor turned to see Chell lower the portal gun. They exchanged a look that said that'd pit their wits against GLaDOS, whoever she was, and get out of there. Despite her silence, the Doctor could see peculiar brilliance behind Chell's eyes.

Together, they decided they could face whatever comes their way. And so they began their merciless trek through the maddening labyrinth of GLaDOS' design.

Hopefully it would be worth, they were promised cake after all.


	8. Still Alive

The Doctor had rarely seen such an artificial deathtrap.

The turrets were the worst: egg-shaped robots with legs whose sides opened up to gun turrets while it asked in a sing-song voice if they were still there after a barrage of flesh-tearing bullets. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to shut them, causing the machines to tear themselves apart with their own bullets. Chell had her own methods of handling the machines which included knocking them over and dropping them to oblivion with well-placed portals.

The Doctor saw the outlines of the many tests that Chell had been forced to partake in, most of them were rudimentary but would prove impossible without the portal gun and quick wits. They also saw the remaining messages from the other tests subjects. A message half-clawed-half-painted-in blood caught their attention.

_** THE CAKE IS A**__**LIE**_

The two masters of escape pressed on while the cold message was etched in their hearts. GLaDOS could not be allowed to continue such madness. This needed to end.

Using his sonic screw driver for readings and Chell's instinct, they slowly found themselves getting closer to the source of all their troubles. Their only evidence of this was that the amount of things trying to kill them increased, the safest justification the Doctor has ever had.

Flamethrowers, bullet-firing turrets arranged in many levels of death, and laser-guided missile launchers. Things got crazier with turn of the hallway and sometimes they were about to simply fall to their death if Chell hadn't caught them to absorb the fall. Through it all the Doctor wondered how _anything_ they were dealing with had to do with science?! Who was responsible for this madness?

They came across a portrait of man named Cave Johnson, head of Aperture, whose first step into science was the invention of special type of shower curtain for the military. This was surprisingly not the descent of science gone wrong that the Doctor had encountered.

However, the true epicenter of science gone wrong had finally appeared.

GLaDOS was a machine. A machine attached to the ceiling with wires, black mechanisms, and a white rectangular head that had two pulsing lights for eyes.

_** "Well you found me,"**_GLaDOS said as she glowered down at them. _**"I threw a party on the chance this might happen. So many people showed up, there was also cake. They wanted to meet you but you weren't here. Now they all hate you."**_

"Is there anything remotely pleasant you can say?" The Doctor said.

_** "I see no point, the outcome of this situation will be the same as fashion sense with bow ties, dead upon arrival."**_

Now the Doctor was angry.

"Bow. Ties. Are. Cool." The Doctor said through gritted teeth.

The Doctor took out his sonic screw driver and aimed it at GLaDOS. The malevolent machine leered at the Doctor. They waited to see who would make the first move.

A clunk of metal hitting the floor turned their attention away from their stare off.

There were several circular orbs on GLaDOS' body and one of them fell off. Both the Time Lord and the Machine turned to see Chell clutching the orb, she stood next to area marked incinerator.

_** "You shouldn't be holding that,"**_GLaDOS said. _**"I don't know what it is but it might be radioactive, that is bad for the skin. You should put it down and forget about it forever."**_

Chell turned her gaze from GLaDOS to the Doctor. The Time Lord followed the silent command of his voiceless partner and aimed his sonic screw driver at the orb. A quick scan gave off a several inaudible beats that reach the Doctor's ears. The Doctor gave Chell a strong nod.

Chell returned the nod as she slammed the button that opened the incinerator and tossed the orb inside.

GLaDOS Shrieked. The machine was silent, as though it were actually stunned. Then GLaDOS began to speak, softly, venomously.

_** "Guess what, I just remembered what that thing that wasn't important was. It was part of my memory bank, the part that could prevent me from releasing a vile toxic gas. The same gas I am preparing to be released in three minutes. Better hold your breath."**_

A timer activated a moment later. On a digital screen was a clock that timed down from three minutes. The Doctor wasn't a fan of destructive means but Chell's life was on the line as well as his.

He had seen the messages from countless victims, the malicious devastation done in the name of science, and the result was something truly scary.

The Doctor was angry.

"Chell, listen to me carefully," The Doctor said with a tense tone. "Every orb acts as a bit of memory. Burn the memory, burn the countdown, and burn down this madness. Ready, GO!"

The Doctor fired his sonic screwdriver at GLaDOS. Two orbs fell off, each carried a bit of the machine's personality. One growled like a rabid dog while the other shook as though everything in existence was terrifying.

Both found their way to the incinerator.

2 minutes until the gas.

_** "I was mistaken. You are both horrible people,"**_GLaDOS said. _**"You wish to break things that don't belong to you. You should at least deal with things I have spares of."**_

Tubes appeared from above that deposited turrets which began to fire away. A laser-pointed rocket launcher also came into play. The odds were getting stacked against them and time was not on their side. The Doctor was deterred, he was determined, a fact that was reciprocated by Chell.

The added opponents were simply treated as puzzles which just needed to be adjusted to fit into place.

Chell fired a portal and the Doctor jumped in seconds before the bullets would have stabbed his skull. He appeared just behind the turrets. Using his screw driver, the Doctor made the machines explode right in a row. The rocket would be a harder opponent to face, but the Doctor thought it might have its uses.

The Doctor looked at Chell as he pointed behind him and at a higher part of the wall.

Chell nodded.

The laser lined up with the Doctor. As the rocket fired the Doctor spun out of the way. The rocket went through the portal behind him which reappeared in the portal higher up on the wall as it struck GLaDOS.

The remaining orbs fell off of GLaDOS, but the machine still had some tricks. She summoned a magnetic beam which pulled the orbs up to a place too high to be reached.

_** "You are far too irresponsible with things that don't belong to you. I'm going to put these up here, you may possibly have them back after you think about what you've done. I hope you can think quickly, you have one minute before you can't think anything again."**_

The platform the remaining orbs were placed on was too far away to simply make a portal and jump across normally. The Doctor needed a moment to contemplate how to solve this dilemma, but they didn't have the time. Apparently Chell was even more impatient than the Doctor.

She created two portals, one even higher than before. The Doctor watched in terror as Chell seemed to have chosen to fall to her death! That was before she fired another portal and vanished into the ground. She then came out of the high portal, using the velocity from her fall to soar onto the platform.

Absolutely brilliant, the Doctor thought with a grin.

Chell kicked the orbs down to the ground. GLaDOS tried to summon the magnetic pull again but the Doctor's screwdriver neutralized the beam. Together the Doctor and Chell through what remained of GLaDOS' orbs into the inferno.

GLaDOS screamed. Without anything to keep her stable, the mad computer fell apart and with her the whole facility. Which meant that while this facility would break down and never be used for cruel purposes again, it would also be highly unsafe to be _inside_ as it crumbled.

The hallway they had used to enter the room had been shrouded in debris, there was no way out. At least until they heard a groaning noise. The Doctor cheered, Chell looked at her friend with confusion.

At least until the Tardis roared into existence. The police box had an instinct for knowing when the Doctor needed a bit of help, being psychic helped with that. There wasn't much to question as the Doctor and Chell rushed inside.

The Tardis faded away as the facility fully collapsed.

The police box arrived at a remote location in a desert a mile outside of a remote village. Chell came outside, holding the portal gun and a bag with enough supplies to make an honest living.

The Doctor saw her off. It seemed rude to say goodbye with words. So instead they help each other firmly. A silent promise to check up and see how Chell was holding up, but he had a feeling she'd be fine. A pure genius of a survivalist.

Chell gave the Doctor a look in her eye to ease his suspicion. There was something else though, something that told him to take a look at the console in the Tardis. The Doctor decided to do as Chell seemed to silently suggest.

There wasn't much the Doctor didn't already know about the Tardis but one thing definitely stood out. A screen composed of several theorized locations in time and space where Gallifrey might be. Most of it had been a jumbled mess, but not anymore. A clear set of coordinates had been set within the span of a few seconds when the Doctor wasn't looking.

A clear, hypothesized area where the Time Lords were just waiting to be found.

The Doctor turned to look at Chell. She gave him a warm smile and a wave. He waved back and waited until Chell went on her way to snap his fingers and shut the door.

Someone that brilliant without needing a single word would get along just fine.


	9. The Vagabonds

Chell's coordinates were phenomenal. With a few well-placed button presses on the console and two switch flips, the Tardis was floating in the location where Gallifrey was hidden.

As he gazed at the empty space around him, the Doctor pondered where the planet could possibly be. He had a number of methods that would help to pull the planet out of the pocket dimension of his and his incarnations' design and bring it into being. For now, the Doctor looked out at the stars with smile he had been saving for over four hundred years.

"Almost there," the Doctor said happily. "Almost home."

The Tardis suddenly started to shake, sound doesn't travel without oxygen, air, which meant that the Doctor couldn't hear what was coming. However, something that could shake the Tardis meant one thing.

Whatever was coming to occupy nearby space, it was big.

His hypothesis didn't disappoint.

A massive ship arrived, but it looked like no other ship he had ever seen. The thing seemed to be a welded mess of hundreds of different ships, a very poor job since pieces were slowly chipping away with each second. It was derelict to be a conscious choice, this was made out of desperation. Only one emotion caused such a desperate design.

Revenge.

Right on time, the Tardis was suddenly seized by gravitational control and beamed aboard the vessel. The Doctor barely had time to blink before several crudely made pistols were pressed into his face.

"Doctor, you are now our prisoner." One of the grime-laced figures said in badly damaged combat armor.

"Well I'm certainly not a guest under these conditions," the Doctor muttered as he raised his hands. "Very well then, take me to your leader."

The Doctor was yanked from the Tardis and clasped in handcuffs. His screwdriver was taken out of his jacket and handed off. To make matters worse, another robotic crane grabbed the Tardis and lifted it away.

"Careful with her," the Doctor. "She hasn't done anything to deserve such treatment."

"Not yet, Doctor," one of the soldiers said. "Not yet."

The Doctor was dragged into a large assembly area where thousands of people stood. Their clothes were ragged, they looked poorly fed, and all of them had a look of uncontrollable rage on their faces. It had been awhile since the Doctor was surrounded by so much anger directed at him and it rarely had a human-ish face. The result was quite disturbing.

In the center of the crowd was a large semi-circle overlooking a large screen which the stars. A man stood at the screen. The Doctor was shoved onto his knees before the man. His attire reflected royalty but the attire was entirely in ruins.

_ "And so we meet, Doctor."_ The man said with a wisp of a voice, speaking the word 'Doctor' as though it were poison.

"So sorry, I make a habit of never forgetting a face but I'm pretty sure that even though I'm looking at the back of your head that we've never met."

_ "Oh, don't worry, we haven't. But I met your people… so long ago…"_

The man turned around to show that was not much left of a man. The face was old and burned. Cybernetics were shown visibly, not bothering to be concealed in any way. This man was walking corpse with eyes that burned with anger.

_ "The Time War was unkind to many people, many planets, Doctor,"_ The man said. _"Look about you, see the lost and discarded: The Vagabonds that resulted from your war and I the Leader of the LOST!" _

The Doctor looked around him. He saw men, women, and children of thousands of unknown planets. He had never met them and that was because he realized that the grim reality of their fates. They had no planet to go back to.

_ "Your people and the Daleks were both driven to destroy the other or take the universe with you! We have studied your actions, watched as we planned how the last time Lord would die. We wished to wait until your last incarnation and kill you ourselves, justice for all that we've lost." _

The crowd cheered.

_ "Then we heard the rumor drifting among the stars from your travels. Gallifrey still exists…"_

Silence, soul shattering silence.

_ "Did you think that the Time Lord's sins during the war were forgotten? Did you believe that bringing back the race whose actions caused a war that cost everything to so many would go unnoticed. No, Doctor, not even close. We all remember and would rather die than allow your race of monsters to return to renew their destruction on thousands of worlds that are still intact."_

"So I suppose you sped up my execution then," The Doctor said. "You wish to make sure Gallifrey can't return so you'll kill the one man who can bring it back."

The option was received with thunderous applause. The leader held up a hand that quieted the crowd. He looked down at the Doctor with a murderous smile on his face.

_ "No, death is far too easy a fate for the one who has the potential to endanger so many lives. We've decided on a much more appealing sentence." _

The Doctor heard the hum of his Tardis. He could hear it cry and it made his hearts ache. Then he saw something happen from the screen behind the Leader of the Lost. He saw the energy of the Tardis being used to do something fantastic. Something that was now terrible in the wrong hands.

Gallifrey had been brought into existence. The orange-red hue of its surface shined like a star, he could almost imagine the cheers from the people below, truly returned from the dead. It was agonizing to realize that the moment which should have been the happiest in Doctor's life now became the worst.

_ "We used your Tardis to return Gallifrey to the universe. Now watch, as so many of us had to, as we now destroy it before your very eyes!"_

The junk breaking away from the massive complex of a ship suddenly burst away completely. A large device floated into place so that the Doctor could have a good look at both Gallifrey and the device. It was a poor design, usually much flashier, but the Doctor recognized all the necessary components needed to create a planet killer.

The machine flashed to life with the cold precision of death's all-ending touch. The people watched in silent anticipation, even the children smiled. The Doctor couldn't understand how to register what was happening, he couldn't even cry.

_ "GALLIFREY FALLS FOREVER!" _

The Machine fired.

There was a burst of blinding white light.

Then nothing.

There was nothing but the stars.

The cheers of the crowd drowned out the Doctor's cry of agony, the agony of billions of lives lost for good. His hearts felt like they might give out from shock, part of him wished they would. Every piece of him wanted to die, but all he could do was watch, praying that some poor fools saw what was coming and escaped just in time. But somehow, he knew that wasn't the case.

The sins of Gallifrey had finally found justice.


	10. The Doctor's Way

The Doctor felt the death of his entire race renewed. As always the past had won out by attacking the present and destroying any future the Doctor would ever know. His own death would simply be a prick of the finger compared to anything that had just happened.

It didn't even seem like the Doctor would have to wait long either.

One of the soldiers broke away from the crowd and began to walk towards him. However, there were several odd things about the man that threw the Doctor off. The crowd as well as the Leader of the Lost seemed confused by the man's actions. There was also the smile on his face, not out of arrogance but the kind one gets from knowing something that's going to be a big surprise. It was the eyes that made the Doctor pause, eyes that seemed to be layered over one another.

He had seen it before, but was it possible?

"Honestly, Doctor, I'm a bit surprised," The man said with a familiar clever tone. "You really thought your goal could be so easily destroyed? You mock my prowess if you think such a fate would befall a friend of mine."

A flash of green erupted outside in the stars. The crowd watched in abject horror as Gallifrey reemerged, far off from the planet killer's trajectory. The Doctor felt a tear run down his face, he hadn't failed. The man stood beside the Doctor, gave him a quick wink, and then shattered the Doctor's shackles with a spear that appeared his hand.

_"What is the meaning of this!?" _The Leader of the Lost wheezed. _"Identify yourself!"_

"Gladly." The man said as green energy enveloped his body.

A man in decorative green robes with long raven black hair and cold clever eyes stood beside the Doctor.

"I am Loki," the god of mischief said with a grin. "Friend of the Doctor."

_"The Doctor does not deserve friends,"_ the Leader said. _"Fortunately, this is a mistake that we shall soon rectify." _

The soldiers aimed their rifles at the two men, but Loki was immune to the threat of death. He simply grinned wider.

"Really," Loki said as he glanced about. "You people seem to have a misconception of the man you see before you. This here is a man of great prowess, of high intelligence, and strong morals. These qualities don't simply make friends, they create allies!"

With Loki's words acting as a silent signal, the rest of the group struck.

The starship enterprise arrived in the viewing field, firing upon the planet killer which was shielded. Captain Kirk, Spock, and two security officers beamed into the room aiming their phasers at the Leader of the Lost. Elizabeth and Chell made the soldiers go flying across the room through the use of many different portals. And Jack Skellington, like a bat swooped down from above, performed a somersault, and gave a soul shattering scream which paralyzed the crowd with fear as he landed on his feet.

Whole the crowd of vagabonds and their leader had been neutralized in less than a minute.

Another person walked into the area, unnoticed by all.

"This madness ends now," Kirk said. "Surrender, your plan has been neutralized. You have no other option."

The Leader of the Lost looked at everything around him with eyes bursting with silent rage. Every one of his forces was now at the mercy of the Doctor's allies. Allies who had helped him achieve victory even victory was not his to be had. There was no way to survive the ensuing retaliation for any action taken. The Leader glared heavily at the Doctor, still on his knees, but joyfully happy at the arrival of his friends and the survival of his planet.

It was the fact that the Doctor had the nerve to believe he deserved happiness that the Leader knew what to do.

_"Wrong," _the Leader snarled. _"I have the only option ever given to me by the actions of a Time Lord. If we are to gain nothing than all must lose everything. FIRE!"_

The machine hummed to life from the Leader's cybernetic command. There was no point in neutralizing him, the planet killer would fire no matter what. Kirk went to his communicator, but Sulu said they unfortunately couldn't pierce the shielding. Elizabeth was about to unleash a tear to obliterate the machine but suddenly the mob gained a renewed air of violence which forced her and Chell to hold off the attackers with their portals. Jack and Loki had to enter the fight just so the others weren't overwhelmed. Only the Doctor stood where he was, seeing the renewed attack on his home world, and all of the efforts of himself and his friends being reduced to nothing for a madman who wished for everyone to lose out of greed.

This made the Doctor very angry.

"ENOUGH!" The Doctor roared.

His anger made everyone but the planet killer pause.

The man who had gone unnoticed by everyone made his move.

"Catch."

The Doctor heard the man's command and instinctively reached out his hand. He caught a small tube-like object. Out of practice and rage, the Doctor aimed the object at the planet killer and clicked the button. It sent out a loud blaring sound which made the Doctor realize it was a sonic screwdriver. This was different than his, it felt… vicious.

His suspicion proved correct as the sonic frequency went through the shielding and created a chain reaction that caused the planet killer to implode. The devastating force was quite a spectacle as the tool of death was slowly obliterated before everyone's eyes.

The Leader was terrified but feebly tried to stop the inevitable.

_"Man the ships," _He wheezed. _"Gun down as many as you can before we're overrun!"_

"No more," the Doctor growled. "When I say enough, that is the last warning!"

The Doctor raised the vicious sonic screwdriver up, nimbly switching the frequency as he neutralized the facility's power save for the air filters. So much power, the Doctor thought, how was that possible from a sonic screwdriver?

He decided to push that thought out of his head for the moment.

He had bigger issues at hand.

The Doctor walked over to the center of the room so that they could all see him.

"Mr. Leader of the Lost," The Doctor said. "This is as clear as it gets. Surrender, live your lives in peace, and stay clear away of any place that whispers of the Doctor or Gallifrey, forever."

_"What gives you the right?"_ The Leader wheezed. _"We have lost everything. Why should you have any form of happiness when we never will? Why must our revenge go unanswered?!"_

"Because of your children."

The Leader looked at the Doctor, confused about what he meant.

"Look at them," The Doctor said. "All of you, even if they aren't your children, look very hard at them. What do you see? You see a lesson being taught, a lesson that they don't need to learn or grow. All they have to do is kill what they're told not to like, then when that's done kill more. Because you've taught them that killing brings happiness. Sure you won't have food, education, or a sense of peace but at least no one left will either!"

The adults looked down at the children, seeing anger in their eyes. Anger that reflected the Time Lords and possibly the Daleks, races of incredible power reduced to killing machines.

"I also lost much because of the Time War," The Doctor said. "I believe that I will always serve penance for the actions of my people. But that does not mean I will allow people to follow my mistakes."

"I'm an old man, I've been very old and worn out from traveling the stars. When things were bad I changed, I grew, I changed so many times but one thing started to become apparent as I grew. That when I say 'Enough' it is the first and last warning you get. Look at you, you who lost everything, had nothing, and the biggest thing you're capable of is to take away people's lives and gain nothing in return."

"I've lost more than any sane man should and I continue to lose as I journey on. But I do not take, I protect. I keep others from the abyss to honor those I couldn't. With every loss that drive is doubled, with every victory it is tripled, and it grows with every reminder that it makes me better than you. You who's biggest moment comes from killing men, women, and children you could never have the strength to acknowledge are lost."

"I have counted the lives lost, and trust me the number is too much to ever justify such an act, ever."

"I chose to be the one who helps in a universe full of people who can only hurt others and that makes me terrifying. It makes my mind more dangerous than any weapon. It makes my anger capable of shaking galaxies. And it makes every time I take a stand against those who try to take from others the worst day of their miserable existence. So ask yourself little people who have to kill to feel important."

The Doctor pressed a button the sonic screwdriver and repowered the facility.

"Now that I'm angry, how important do you really feel?"

His words struck like lightning. It wasn't that these words hadn't been spoken before, but it was impossibly rare for them to be spoken of by a man who has truly felt the weight of the consequences. These words made him stand alone, even among people who he called friends. All of them, even his enemies were nothing more than children to him not only in age but also in maturity. It was rare for the Doctor to let loose like this and for good reason.

He could reduce a whole army to feeling as significant as a speck of dust in comparison using only words. The Doctor was truly terrifying to friend and foe and alike. There was only one thing that kept him from being the most dangerous force in all words and for all time.

His words were not there only to threaten, but to teach.

And the lesson had been learned.

_"We are not like you, Doctor," _the Leader of the Lost said shakily. _"We have nothing. This was an act of desperation, we wished to end the evil that took everything from us. To be remembered as something more than the ghosts of a long lost war. What more is there?" _

And then, with miraculous shift in demeanor, the Doctor was a doctor again.

"Well why didn't you say so," The Doctor said with soft smile. "I know exactly how to help."

He went over to a nearby console. The people cleared away as he walked over. Once there, the Doctor quickly made several calibrations. Within seconds the ship suddenly lurched into light speed. It arrived at a planet, lush with green lands and clear water. A paradise in every single possible.

"Being a traveler of time and space, you get to notice those odd marvels that remain safe and sound throughout existence. Here's one of them." The Doctor said as he gestured towards the viewing screen.

The vagabonds looked on the planet with tears in their eyes. There was room for all and the people on board the composited vessel had learned to unite not only out of a common hatred for the Time Lords but also from that need to survive which inspires all kinds of bonds of friendship. They had chance for peace from their greatest enemy.

Only the Leader of the Lost was still uneasy.

_"Why, Doctor,"_ the Leader said. _"You have every reason to wish us nothing but destruction. Yet you not only spare us, you help us. Why?"_

"Few reasons," the Doctor said. "First off, the Time War has taken too many lives. Second, how else are you expected to become better if you follow the destructive example of my people and our enemies? Third, I was serious about teaching your children a better example. You now have the chance to show them that the past does not always have to poison the future. These children have quite the future ahead of them, the ones who survived to make a life beyond war, so make it a good one."

The Leader looked at the Doctor, not sure if he was looking at the same man who waved fire and destruction with such brutal ease. He could see that this person was in there but the leader saw something else. He saw a man who had learned the worst way how high the value of life truly was. He stood as a living warning of what the Leader of the Lost was almost about to become. The Leader could barely contemplate just how grateful he was to the man he once called his enemy.

_"We will try, Doctor."_ The Leader said as he held out a robotic hand.

"Of course," The Doctor said with a smile. "It's the best any of us can ever do, in the end."

The two men shook hands, Time Lord and Leader of the Redeemed.

Both finding a small bit of peace in the act.

The people left to prepare for the journey down to their new home. Despite the battle no one was killed or harmed, which surprised the Doctor considering the destructive and deceptive force of his allies. This led to a small gathering before they returned to the Tardis, which had been graciously returned.

"Thank you, all of you for what you've done." The Doctor said.

"It was an honor, Doctor." Jack said with a bow.

"I would not let you lose hope after you gave it back to me." Elizabeth said.

"To simply assist in your endeavor for a moment proves to bring centuries-worth of excitement, how could I resist?" Loki said with a grin.

Chell patted the Doctor on the back.

"You truly are quite the individual, Doctor," Kirk said. "I truly hope we can have your mercy in our travels."

"You all proved in your own ways that you are capable of so much," the Doctor said. "It was my pleasure to walk beside each of you, even if it was but for a moment. I have to ask though. You all arrived rather well prepared for this, even to the point that you chose to be non-lethal. How did you are arrange all of this?"

The group was silent, they didn't seem to know how to explain it because it was bizarre even for them. Spock, being taught to lead by logic, knew how to convey an answer.

"We were not responsible for this plan of attack or our arrival, Doctor," Spock said. "These actions were a result from _him._"

Even as Spock pointed at the stranger, the Doctor knew who he was talking about.

The man stood in a nice suit with grey silver hair and a fierce look in his eyes. There was no way of knowing more about the familiar stranger without creating all matter of paradoxes but words were not necessary. All the Doctor needed to do was remember, remember this moment, and do as he had done. Only then would these actions truly make sense.

A silent agreement between the two men also helped make up the Doctor's mind about something. It made his heart grow heavy but the familiar stranger gave him a firm nod which convinced him that it was worth it. The stranger produced the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, apparently he had found it during all the chaos. The two men returned the screwdrivers to their rightful owners. One day, the Doctor would wield a lot of power he realized, but for now this level of power would be enough.

The stranger gave the Doctor a smile before he turned and left down a nearby hallway. The Doctor knew without hearing any other sound that he was gone. For now.

"Whatever questions you all have about what has happened during all of this, please keep them to yourselves. It's safer that way, for me especially."

The group didn't argue his statement.

"So what happens now, Doctor?" Elizabeth asked.

"Now I need to settle one more bit of business," the Doctor said. "If you would like to help me a little more, I would very much appreciate it."

Once they arrived at Gallifrey, the Doctor told them his plan. As he expected they tried to argue against it.

"How can someone so brilliant act like such a moron!" Loki snapped.

"The time isn't right just yet." The Doctor said.

"Surely you're mistaken." Jack interjected.

"Sadly no. The Vagabonds were the first to find it but they were not the first to hate Gallifrey."

"So you plan to return it to the pocket dimension, to scatter it all over again?" Elizabeth said.

"Until I can be sure my planet will not face imminent destruction, yes."

"But your people, Doctor, they have just been brought to the light. Do you really have the right to put them in the dark again?" Kirk said.

"I have the only right, Captain," the Doctor said. "Gallifrey was saved by my actions. Therefore it is my responsibility to see it safely returned. Right now I'm not strong enough to ensure that possibility. Not yet, anyway."

"He speaks the truth, Jim," Spock said. "We must respect the Doctor's choices as he has respected ours. This is his path just as much as we have our own."

No one argued Spock's statement, no matter how hard they wished to.

Chell hugged the Doctor firmly, knowing without having to be told that this hurt him the most. The Doctor accepted the hug, appreciating the good company he had met along his travels. He then pulled away and Chell nodded, she knew what had to be done.

Using a combination of the Tardis' energy, Chell's portal gun, and Elizabeth's power Gallifrey returned to the pocket dimension. After the Doctor had told everyone on the planet's surface the reason for this. He also made another promise.

"The next time you see the light of the stars, it will be for good."

They trusted him. After all, the Doctor saved Gallifrey from the destruction of the Daleks. Everyone knew if there was one man who could keep such a promise, it was the Doctor.

The Doctor then proceeded to return his comrades to their specific dimensions. Each of them had hard roads ahead but all worked to achieve their own forms of happiness. The Doctor wished them the best, and that kind of blessing carried a lot of weight. They had all learned that in their brief time with the Time Lord.

And so the Doctor was alone aboard the Tardis again. He thought about going out and continuing his search. However, the encounter with the stranger made him realize he was not ready. Like his comrades and former enemies, the Doctor too had to grow up. To become not only more than he was but also what he needed to be for the sake of Gallifrey.

So the Time Lord reclined in his Tardis, musing over his search for Gallifrey, all of the friends he made and all the hardships he had witnessed. Through it all the Doctor realized that while he stood with friends he also realized he stood alone compared to them as well. One day the Doctor would no longer have to be bigger or better to get by.

One thing was certain after all of his travels and all the powerful possibilities to come.

The Search for Gallifrey was postponed.

The Search for the true Doctor, however, had only just begun.


	11. Epilogue: Clara and the Doctor

Clara and The Doctor

By: Andrew Sparling

The Tardis roared into existence. Clara got up from her reading and looked out the window to see a familiar blue police box outside. She grinned happily and went downstairs to greet her Doctor.

As she opened the backdoor in the kitchen, Clara knew something was wrong. She always knew that since the Doctor was a time traveler he could have been gone for hundreds of years in the span of what would be a few seconds for her. It was bit unnerving, how clam he was about seeing people who with a flip of a switch could have passed on 300 years ago. The only thing that made it worthwhile was the fact that the Doctor always valued people when he met them, he didn't treat them as fossils or ghosts but as people in the here and now. People he would fight for, protect, and possibly risk his life to help.

That was her Doctor, the helper of all even when the weight of the task weighed him down. The look in his eyes told her that this was one of those situations. Only his eyes carried any of the strain while the rest of him was deliberately impeccably clean. He always tried to lie, but lies didn't work so well against Clara after she had taken step into his time stream, seeing all the secrets he was willing to share and a great deal more than he ever realized.

Even though it had been yesterday since they last met, it was clear from the look in the Doctor's eyes it had been longer than day, in some ways too long. Apparently the Doctor couldn't wait much longer for a friend.

Clara met the Doctor half way to the door and hugged him firmly.

"Welcome back." Clara said.

The Doctor didn't bother to have the energy to deny how his impossible girl could read him like a book, he only reciprocated the hug. They held each other for a moment before letting go.

"Good to be back, Clara." The Doctor said with a weak grin.

They went inside and enjoyed a quiet drink of tea. Over tea, the Doctor relayed a bit of his journey through time and space. Clara never ceased to be amazed when it came to the kinds of places and people the Doctor met in his travels. She also felt like there was something he wasn't telling her, something he saw that was technically not meant for him to see, but Clara knew better than to ask. The Doctor finally got to the reason for his ragged state, he had found Gallifrey but chose to seal it away until he was capable of ensuring his people could return safely.

"One day, Clara," The Doctor said firmly. "One fantastic day, Gallifrey will stand in the stars again."

Clara smiled and raised her cup.

"I look forward to being by your side when that happens."

The Doctor smiled back. That should have been the end of it and they would get on to discuss soufflés and the possibility of what planet they should explore next. However, the familiar stranger weighed down on the Doctor's mind. To see his future soon, the powerful possibilities but also the grim consequence would be needed to reach it, it made him start to wonder.

When was the last time he would be traveling using this face? He had had fun despite the losses. That was something that he had achieved, a type of wish fulfillment after feeling like a god, Time Lord Victorious. He was alone, felt alone, but learned some fun things: the coolness of bowties and fezzes would always warm his heart. He also had fantastic company: Amy, Rory, River, Jenny, Madame Vastra, Strax and Clara who he would cherish happily.

Clara could almost read his heavy thoughts.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Clara asked.

The Doctor sighed, it'd be rude to not let be aware of the possibility.

"Clara," the Doctor began. "There will come a time where I'll have to change. You saw the other Doctor's. I change when things get bad, too bad for me to do anything but change. When that happens, you can't blame yourself, things must always come to an end in order for new things to begin. Just be nice to the new guy, he'll need all the help he can get."

Clara hated what she heard but understood that this was always a possibility. The Doctor always had his dark moods at times, as though he could see something on the horizon, the worst thing to possibly see. But the way he spoke about it, about the change to come, the Doctor spoke of it with an air of hope. He saw that he was going to become something worthwhile.

"If it happens, it happens," Clara said, "I get things are going to have to change some day. Personally, you've been the best friend I've ever met. It'd be absolutely horrid to not help… the new you. It has been an absolute pleasure to travel by your side and it will be a pleasure to see all the journeys to come."

The Doctor grinned and so did Clara. The smile was meant to conceal the dread burning through their minds. That this might actually be one of the last times they would have to interact with one another. It reminded the Doctor of something he once told a wife during Christmas; that they are going to be sad which makes all the happiness before all the more special.

They realized that before the worst memory, both Clara and the Doctor would make many happy ones.

"Care to see the stars, Clara?" The Doctor asked with a grin.

"Always." Clara said.

And so they talked about the fantastic possibilities. They could travel to a place where they could sled down a mountain in zero gravity, a land of chameleon people who a were blast to play and hide and seek with, and a whole planet where fezzes were mandated to be worn by law (Clara had a suspicion who helped make that law). They laughed at all the possibilities. These would be the cherished memories they would both carry with them for the rest of their lives.

They would remember these moments as they searched for Gallifrey.

They would use them to get through the darkness ahead.


End file.
